The Brony Survival Guide
by Jlargent
Summary: Just arrived in Equestria and don't know what to do? Just take a peek inside to learn how to survive the dangers of Equesteria.
1. Equesteria as a whole

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 1: Equestria as a whole.**

**Written By Jlargent**

_Me: That's right it is a survival guide for humans in Equesteria. This started when I read The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks and How to be an anime character by Clayton Overstreet, and after reading a good amount of fanfics I started to think _I wonder if I can write something similar to the guide only aimed at Bronies and Pegasisters? _And this this was born, now since this is more or less a guidebook I have to warn you that I am for the most part winging this. And finally I do not own MLP in any shape or form typical disclaimers apply._

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the latest incarnation of the long running My Little Pony television series and follows the adventures of Twilight Sparkle and her friends in the mythical land of Equestria. But what is Equesteria? How big is it? And what's in there? Hopefully I can answer a few questions.

_What is Equestria?_

Now any brony can tell you that Equesteria is the homeland in which the series is centered upon. But any non-brony (Anyone who is unaware of the series.) would freak out at the fact that they arrived into a world where ponies are the dominate species. Humans in general tends to fear what they do not understand and would lash out in fear and anger until they are rationalize the situation they are in, unfortunately this can cause some problem that should be resolved as soon as possible..

_How big is Equestria?_

No one is exactly sure how big Equesteria itself if but I believe that it is roughly the size of the western half of the United States with Ponyville in the exact center of it, now roughly 65-70 miles away from Ponyville is Cantterlot the capitol of Equesteria and home to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna the goddesses of the sun and moon respectively. Located as well is Whitetail Woods which are under pony control it lies west of Ponyville. East of Ponyville is Everfree Forest that do not follow the physics of Equesteria, instead it follows the physics of earth, southeast of Ponyville is Froggy Bottom Bog, located northwest of Ponyville is Ghastly Gorge, and finally Cloudsdale is located outside of Cantorlot and can only be accessed by hot air balloon.

Other places mentioned in canon are not shown so determining their exact location is more or less hit or miss but otherwise what you'll expect when arriving in Equestria.

_What's in Equestria?_

Well as I have mentioned the dominate species are ponies more specifically normal ponies or 'Earth' ponies as they prefer to be called, pegasus ponies, unicorns and finally alicorns. However there are other sentient creatures that inhabit Equesteria such as dragons, griffons, buffalo, cows, diamond dogs and zebras. Twilight Sparkle mentioned that zebras are from a distant land which indicates that she came from a place outside of Equesteria. Griffons are known to live in mountain ranges so that they can capture their prey more easily. Dragons tend to sleep in caves with their horde of treasure and are notoriously greedy.

Buffalo that live outside of Appleloosa are similar to the native Americans and as such they have a tribe that were at odds with the inhabitants of Appleloosa until the issue was settled by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Diamond dogs are dogs that have ape-like characteristics and live in gem mines because they have a love for precious stones.

Now that you are aware of the inhabitants of Equestria the next chapter will cover the physiology of ponies.

_End of chapter one…_

_Me: Sorry for the short chapter but I need a base to start off with. But I promise to get better with the next installments._

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	2. Pony Physilogy

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 2: Pony Physiology**

**Written By Jlargent.**

_Me: Here we are with chapter two and I'm hoping that the Forums get fixed soon. I don't own MLP so don't bother suing me._

Ponies come in all shapes and sizes but of course you already know that. Now this chapter will help you learn a few things that you might be curious about.

_How tall are ponies?_

It all depends really on what type you're referring to. Earth ponies are about the size of a regular pony which is close to four feet in height and roughly three feet in length. Now earth ponies are actually heavier than the other types since they cannot fly or utilize magic but they make up for it by using their hind legs for various purposes such as apple bucking or the annual running of the leaves which will be explained later.

Pegasai are the same size but their wings are proportionate to their body structure so it would stand to reason that their wings are roughly four to five feet when extended.

Unicorns are the same size but slightly thinner, the length of their horns vary but it stands to reason that the more magic they possess the longer the horn is to contain that magic.

Males such as Big Macintosh is actually the size of a small Clydesdale and is built like one while the normal stallion is roughly the size of a small horse so it comes to reason that ponies are proportionate to their earth counterparts.

_How do Pegasai fly?_

A Pegasai is actually the lightest of the three, the reason for this is because their bones are lighter and hollow like a bird's. Their muscles and tendons are also lighter to provide flight. As a result their metabolism is slightly higher because they need to burn the excess energy when not in flight. Additionally this allows them greater speeds due to being aerodynamic.

Rainbow Dash was able to perform the Sonic Rainboom, The Buccaneer Blaze and The Atomic Rainboom because of these factors.

_How is it that Unicorns can perform magic?_

You must understand that Unicorns have a higher brain function and thus able to do complex tasks that Earth ponies and Pegasai cannot, the reason for this is because their horns acts as a focusing device to channel their magic. Twilight Sparkle is the third strongest magic user in the series, right behind Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, the reason for this is that she spends a majority of her time practicing her magic and reading spell books, Unicorns like Rarity uses their magic to suit their talents such as fashion or other skills.

Alicorns are considered to be the strongest magic users since they are a balance of Earth, Pegasai, and Unicorn to date there are only two Alicorns in existence in the series, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia.

_Do magic exist only in Unicorns and Alicorns?_

Actually no all ponies have a degree of magic in which they can use, Earth ponies have the lowest amount but they can use it to move about and carry heavy loads, also if the pony specializes in agriculture like the Apple Family they can use their latent magic to help grow their crops. Pegasai magic is primary focused on the wings allowing them to fly and manipulate the weather, in Cloudsdale is the Weather Factory where the majority of the weather is produced such as snow, rain, and of course rainbows.

Though it is not recommended that one should taste the rainbow there since it is incredibly spicy and sour at the same time, snow flakes that are produced there are made by hoof and kept in a special cooling tank so that they can be used in the winter months.

Unicorns have the highest amount of magic of the three types but their levels of magic depends on their talents so it is hard to determine how powerful a Unicorn's magic can be.

Also since all ponies have a degree of magic they can also use it to grasp objects such as bits or another hoof.

I hope that this chapter was informative. The next chapter will cover Ponyville itself, it's founding and landmarks that you should be aware of.

_Me: Well that takes care of this chapter. Please keep the reviews coming! I feed Pinkie them to maintain the fourth wall._

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	3. Ponyville

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 3: Ponyville**

**Written By Jlargent**

_Me: Here we go with chapter four of this helpful guide. And to those of you that pointed out that Prince Blueblood is a Unicorn instead of an Alicorn I apologize, I neglected that detail until you pointed it out._

This chapter will cover Ponyville and the history surrounding it, in order to understand this I am also including the founding of Equestria and Ponyville, I shall also include a few things as well such as holidays and types of food and drink available.

_Part one: The founding of Equestria._

Long ago Earth ponies, Pegasai, and Unicorns lived in separate tribes and had a long standing rivalry between each other since Pegasai controlled the weather and Unicorns used magic while Earth ponies were treated as second class citizens. Eventually, this rivalry grew to the point that war was about to erupt, but a sudden winter storm struck all three tribes ruining crops and bringing famine.

In desperation for a solution a representative from each tribe met with each other to try and find the source of the malady but the they blamed each other for the weather and it was un resolved, so each representative set out to find a new homeland for their respective tribes. The Unicorn representative Princess Platinum and her advisor Clover the Clever set out first, the Earth pony representative Chancellor Puddinghead and her secretary Smart Cookie followed soon afterward, and finally the Pegasai representative Commander Hurricane and her subordinate Private Pansy left to find a new home.

Eventually all three discovered what is soon to be Equestria but unfortunately all three representatives founded their ownership over the land at the exact same time, this led to bickering and arguing over who actually laid claim to the land and much to their shock the freezing winter that they were trying to escape somehow followed them, to escape the freezing cold representatives and their compatriots sought shelter in a cave where they continued their argument.

The icy cold sought it's way into the cave and covered the cave in thick ice and kept creeping its way inward and the representatives were too absorbed in their arguing and they eventually were covered in ice, their cohorts weren't like the representatives and discovered that a group of foul creatures called Windigoes were to blame for the eternal winter, the more hate that is present the colder they become the three cohorts started to talk before they started to turn to ice and found that they have a lot in common, and before Clover the Clever's horn could be engulfed in ice a sudden burst of magic shatters the ice covering her and her newfound friends and created a burning heart that started to melt the ice in the cave. As hours went by the heat from the heart grew stronger driving the Windigoes away and melting the ice covering the representatives, and thus all three representatives came to an agreement to share the land that they discovered and Equestria was born from this union. This event is called Hearth's Warming and is one of the Equestrian Holidays in observance, more about this will be explained later on in this chapter.

_Part two: The founding of Ponyville._

In the episode Family Appreciation Day Granny Smith tells the class that she and her family were "pilgrim ponyfolk" who traveled and collected seeds. In her story, "the Smith family" reach Canterlot and come across Princess Celestia, who stops to see their seed collection, and notices they're tired from searching for a home. She directs them to the land next to the Everfree Forest where they build their first home and plant their first orchard, but since orchards don't grow overnight their food runs scarce. Despite the dangers of the Everfree Forest, Granny Smith decides to venture into it in search of food, and comes across a zap apple tree. At this point, a pack of timberwolves begin to howl and chase after her. Granny Smith runs back to her house and begins clanging a metal pan, which drives the timberwolves away. They take the seeds from the zap apples, and plant them in their orchard–the seeds magically grew into full size trees in an instant.

Granny Smith then creates jam from the zap apples and eventually other settlers came and they grew to the point of where an actual town was formed and thus Ponyville was born.

_Food and drinks._

Since the majority of the population of Equestria are ponies then it would be safe to assume that the majority of their diet are plants, so you'll have to change your dietary habits since eating meat of any kind would be viewed as cannibalism. Fruits and vegetables are available such as apples or celery so you don't have to worry about eating anything unfamiliar, in addition sweets such as cake and ice cream.

Now for drinks are similar to that of Earth but minus any alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine. It is a kids show after all.

_Familiar Locals._

If you're going to live in Ponyville you should know your way throughout the town. So it would be a good idea to learn where certain places are, also since Ponyville is the home of the main cast knowing where they live and work would be a good idea as well.

First off, there is Ponyville Library where Twilight Sparkle lives after being assigned by Princess Celestia to stay and send her reports on friendship. I suggest going there first since the knowledge within the books there could be of some use.

Next is Sweet Apple Acres, home to the Apple Family for generations, working on the farm will not only get you a free meal and a place to sleep but the Apple Family is one of the most hard working families in all of Equestria.

Rarity's Boutique is next on our tour, if you need a set of clothes then you should head here since Rarity would love a challenge creating clothing for you.

Sugarcube Corner is where Pinkie Pie lives and works as well as the Cake Family, if you need a quick bite to eat or want Pinkie to plan a party then this place is for you.

Fluttershy's Cottage lies near Everfree Forest and is where she can tend to the animals there. If you are injured in anyway then Fluttershy can patch you up for the most part until you can go to the hospital.

And finally Rainbow Dash lives in Cloudsdale so you won't see her around Ponyville unless she is on weather patrol or practicing her tricks.

_Holidays._

There's plenty to see and do while in Ponyville but you really need to know when certain events take place here's what you need to know.

Summer Sun Celebration: This event marks the beginning of summer, every year Princess Celestia raises the sun marking the longest day of the year.

Winter Wrap up: This marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Unicorns are encouraged not to use magic during this time since it is traditional to do things without the use of magic in any form.

Iron Pony Competition: Similar to the Iron Man Competition ponies compete in a series of events to test their skills and stamina.

Running of the Leaves: This event is simply a race through Whitetail Woods to make the leaves fall to the ground, it also marks the start of autumn.

Best Young Flyer Competition: This event is held in Cloudsdale and Pegasai compete in a series of tests to see who is the best.

Grand Galloping Gala: Easily the most social event held in Canterlot and is held within the royal palace. Dinner and dancing is held here every year.

Nightmare Night: This event is similar to Halloween on Earth so grab a costume and go trick or treating to your heart's content.

Sisterhood Social: An event celebrating the bond of sisterhood, there's games and prizes awarded to sisters that compete in the events.

Hearts and Hooves: Similar to Valentine's Day on Earth it is a perfect day to either confess or marry that special love.

Hearth's Warming: Similar to Christmas Day on Earth it is a time to be with friends and pseudo family in Equestria. The night before the palace holds an annual play on the founding of Equestria and is the biggest production in the castle.

I hope that this chapter provides you with all the answers you need the next chapter will cover the Mane 6 and their history.

_Me: Please keep the reviews coming! I appreciate any and all ideas that you may have._

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	4. The Mane 6

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 4: The Mane 6**

**Written by Jlargent**

_Me: I have at least six more chapters after this and after that I'll shift my attention back to my Human in Equestria fic. I do not own the Mane Six in any shape or form. By the way I fixed any mistakes that I had made in chapters one and two._

Since the series focuses on the exploits of Twilight Sparkle and her friends I am providing you with some background information on each of the 'Mane' characters.

Twilight Sparkle.

Bearer of the Element of Magic was born in Canterlot, when she was young she watched Princess Celestia raise the sun during the Summer Sun Celebration (See Previous chapter for details on this event) she was in awe at her magic, determined she starts to study magic reading any book on magic she could. One day her parents announced that she was to be given an interview at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, when she was interviewed by the examiners they tasked her with hatching a dragon's egg, despite her efforts she could not produce any magic. Dejected she was about to leave the examination room when a large boom startled her to the point where her magic became out of control.

Bolts of magic shot out and levitated the examiners and transfigured her parents into plants, when one bolt struck the dragon egg she not only hatched it but he grew to monstrous proportions breaking through the roof of the building catching Celestia's attention just as she was walking by. Intrigued, she enters to see Twilight losing control of her magic, she calmed Twilight down and stated that she has a large amount of potential and decided to make Twilight her own personal student. The outburst of magic also led to her discovering her cutie mark. The dragon that was hatched became Twilight's assistant Spike who is tasked to take notes and send letters to the princess.

Years later Twilight discovers a prophecy foretelling the return of Nightmare Moon and sent a message to warn the princess, in response the princess sends her to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration preparations where she meets first meets Pinkie Pie, later she goes to Sweet Apple Acres to Applejack, then Rainbow Dash literally crashes into her and is tasked to clear the skies for the celebration that night, after Dash leaves she goes to Rarity to check on the décor of the celebration, and finally she encounters Fluttershy by chance while practicing her singing for the celebration.

Twilight is the most level headed member of the group acting as the leader when there's a situation of course there are times when she a fierce temper and anxiousness but that's often normal for her, since living in Ponyville she has taken the role of head librarian and organizer for the Winter Wrap Up of course Twilight is the butt of many Murphy Law jokes. She also shares the library with Owloysius an owl that happened to stumble upon the library one night and stays there.

Applejack.

Applejack lives at Sweet Apple Acres with her younger sister Apple Bloom, her older brother Big Macintosh or Big Mac for short and her grandmother Granny Smith and is the bearer of the Element of Honesty. When she was young she was the last member of her class to gain a cutie mark a trait that seemed to run in the family, so she set out to find her talent and traveled to Manehatten to stay with her high class cousins the Orange Family. Once she arrived she easily finds it hard to fit in and becomes homesick, one night before the break of dawn Applejack stared out the window of the room that she was staying in at the Orange Family manor and sees a rainbow leading to Ponyville she then realizes that she belongs in Ponyville and returned home to her family and thus discovering her cutie mark as a result.

Applejack has a strong work ethic and can be at times stubborn on certain issues, especially if it involves matters that involves the farm, she also shares a friendly rivalry with Rainbow Dash often competing against each other. She is also a excellent cook if it involves anything apple related, when not working on the farm or out on an adventure with her friends Applejack tends to play with her dog Winona.

Fluttershy.

Fluttershy is the bearer or the Element of Kindness and is often seen caring for animals near her cottage in Ponyville, when she was young she was not a very good flier, and was bullied by some of the other ponies, who nicknamed her "Klutzershy". She was taller and ganglier than the other foals, with slightly larger wings. Rainbow Dash, however, stood up for her, and challenged the bullies to a race in which the participants unintentionally knocked Fluttershy down to the ground, a place she had never been before. She was saved from a rough landing by falling onto a large group of butterflies. Upon seeing all the different animals which lived on the ground for the first time, Fluttershy was so overjoyed, she started singing. A few moments later, Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom scared all the animals away; however, Fluttershy was able to calm them down, and learned that she had a talent for communicating with animals. It was at that point she gained her cutie mark, which was butterflies and a lifelong love of animals.

She also has a talent for sewing that could rival that of Rarity's skill and personally designed her own Gala dress. Due to her ability to care for animals she shares a level of empathy with them going as far as making a cast for a mouse that had broken his leg. Her assistant Angel a rabbit that lives with her is often left in charge of taking care of the animals while Fluttershy is away in Ponyville or out on an adventure. She also has the role of peacemaker in the group dispelling any arguments that they may have.

When angered which is rarely she initiates a powerful stare that can intimidate and tame animals, thus far it has only been used twice, the first time she uses it on a dragon that was threatening her friends, and the second was when she uses it on a cockatrice even though at the time she herself was being turned to stone due to the cockatrice's gaze.

**Warning: Do not, I repeat do NOT make Fluttershy angry in any sense. Otherwise she WILL use The Stare on you!**

Pinkie Pie.

Pinkamena Diane Pie or Pinkie Pie for short is the bearer of the Element of Laughter and is the party planner of Ponyville she lives and works in Sugarcube Corner with her pet baby alligator Gummy as well as Mr. and Mrs. Cake and their twin children Pumpkin and Pound Cake. Before Pinkie lived on a rock farm with her parents and sisters when one day a rainbow washed over the farm and the force of the shockwave turned her normally straight mane and tail into her traditional puffiness. She then thought about how happy she became when she saw that rainbow and thought about how she could make others happy, she then spends the night in trying to figure it out and created her first party leading to her cutie mark. Aside from her partying skills she is also an exceptional baker and singer as well, she also displays skills at ice skating and using musical instruments.

**Note: When you first arrive in Ponyville, Pinkie will plan a welcome party in your honor.**

Pinkie has also developed a special type of extra sensory perception that manifests itself at random intervals, all who had tried to crack the secrets of 'The Pinkie Sense' has given up realizing that it would be pointless to do so.

Pinkie is not without insecurity of course when she thought that her friends abandoned her, her main and tail deflated and her coat became a darker shade of pink, her sanity took a heavy blow and starts talking to inanimate objects like they were actual friends, it wasn't until later that Pinkie snapped out of her insanity and returned to her normal self, well normal for her anyway.

**Warning: Do not make Pinkie insecure in any shape or form.**

A running gag in the series is her ability to break the fourth wall which several cartoon characters and a few videogame characters can do, it is also hinted that she is well aware of her role in life as a fictional character.

Rainbow Dash.

Born and raised in Cloudsdale Rainbow Dash is the bearer of the Element of Loyalty is tasked with weather duties when not practicing her stunts to enter the Wonderbolts, in flight school she discovered her cutie mark when performing the now infamous sonic rainboom after defending Fluttershy's honor. Ironically the very same rainboom helped her, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy Pinkie Pie and Rarity gain their cutie marks.

When not practicing her stunts she tends to find a nearby cloud and take a nap or reading Daring Do her pet turtle Tank has a apparatus that allows him to fly so she doesn't have to worry about him, it is also noted that she is brash at times which can result in an argument with Applejack, she also tends to compete against Applejack seeing as she respects her in terms of athleticism. She also has a love of pranks which she tags along with Pinkie Pie whenever they're bored.

Rarity.

Rarity is a fashion designer that has the Element of Generosity and lives in her workshop along with her little sister Sweetie Belle and her cat Opalescence or Opal for short, even at a young age Rarity had an eye for fashion but she felt as though she was missing something in her work. One day after working on some costumes for the school play her magic literally leads her to a large stone and just as she was about to leave the sonic rainboom occurs splitting the rock in two revealing that it was actually a large geode filled with various gemstones. That night after she puts the gemstones into the costumes her cutie mark appears.

While Rarity has a taste for fashion she considers herself a high class elegance much to the chagrin of her friends and can be a bit over the top when it comes to perfection. But she is kind and caring to others as well as generous. It is known that she was oblivious to Spike's affection towards her until after Spike returned to normal from being excessively greedy turning him into a monster. She is also a excellent cook since her sister has a tendency to ruin even the most simplest of meals.

**Note: When you first meet her she will insist on making you a set of clothing at no charge.**

Cutie Marks.

A cutie mark is a sign of achievement and indicates what a pony specializes in. For example Applejack's represents her love of apples.

The next chapter will cover when you arrive in Ponyville.

_Me: Well until next time keep the reviews coming!_

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	5. Welcome to Ponyville

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 5: Welcome to Ponyville**

**Writen By Jlargent**

_Me: Okay one reviewer suggested a chapter on Celestia and Luna and I'll think on it. Now I do not own MLP in any shape or form, typical disclaimers apply. And somewhere in Equestria there's a tombstone that reads 'Here lies the fourth wall: Constantly broken by Pinkie Pie' _

You awake to the sounds of birds and the smell of flowers, you open your eyes to see that you are no longer in your bedroom but instead you are in a forest.

Now what? Do you explore the forest and hope that you can find civilization? Or do you stay where you are and try and figure out what to do? These are the questions that you'll ask yourself when you first arrive and depending on the situation prior to your arrival would determine what you should do.

_Injured but alive._

It is possible that you could arrive just as you receive a major injury, say being hit by a car or stabbed by a knife and before blacking out you have a sensation of falling. In this case you should definitely stay where you are and wait for a pony to find you and take you to the hospital.

When you wake up you would most likely meet Twilight Sparkle who would be curious as to your species, now all that's left is lodging but that won't be too much of a problem.

_Dead on arrival._

Unlike arriving when you are injured, you arrive just as you had died but you were given a second chance in life or somehow your soul arrives in Equestria and manifests itself into a body. In either event you should seek out Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy.

_Mysterious portal._

Now and again a mysterious portal opens and you becomes too curious and step through it as with before you should find Fluttershy or Twilight Sparkle and seek out their help on this.

_Chosen by Celestia or another deity._

Sometimes the princess will choose a random human that had led a terrible life and give them a chance to heal in Equestria, now what you should do is talk to Twilight since she is Celestia's student and would have some understanding as to your current situation.

However if another deity chosen you to come to Equestria then it would mean that you were chosen to save Equestria from a horrible fate so you might as well get the answers from said deity. But more than likely it'll be a cryptic message.

_What to do when you first meet the Mane 6._

First off don't lie about your origins, Twilight may not be the bearer of the Element of Honesty but she isn't that unobservant and try and ease her into it. Now if the other members of the group are with her try to be cautious since Applejack would protect her friends if you make any sudden gestures, if you are injured Fluttershy will try to treat your wounds depending on how bad they are, of course Pinkie would ignore all pretense and throw you a party, and finally Rainbow Dash would be suspicious of you until you prove that you are not a threat.

The next chapter will cover the possibility of being turned into a pony.

_To be continued._

_Me: I know, I know not much on this chapter but I promise to make up for it next time._

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	6. Ponification

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 6: Ponifacation.**

**Written by Jlargent**

_Me: Here we are with chapter six of this guide. I do not own MLP in any shape or form._

When arriving into Equestria you also have to take into account that the magic that is in the atmosphere may have a different effect than that of earth's, as a result it may be possible that instead of being human you may be turned into a pony. Yeah, if this has happened and you are currently on this chapter then you need some serious help adjusting to your new life as a pony.

Let's take a look at the possible outcomes of being turned into a pony. As I have mentioned earlier that there are three types of ponies, Earth types, Pegasai and Unicorns, now the first thing you should do is understand the mechanics of your new form.

Earth

Since Earth type ponies resemble that of a pony from earth you would find that it is relatively easy to move your newfound body. I suggest some practice with your new form first before making any long distance travel.

Applejack can help in this regard, also providing you with some insight.

Pegasai

After getting used to walking in your new form you should practice using your wings. Since you just recently acquired a set of wings you should first flex the wing muscles and note that they are similar to that of arms, next try to gain a bit of lift using your wings. Now that we have established this carefully flap your wings to propel yourself forward.

Be sure to keep low to the ground until you overcome your initial hesitance of heights. If you are still insure about flying I suggest talking to Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy on tips on how to fly better.

Unicorns

First thing is to learn how to use magic, the simplest spell that all unicorns learn is levitation, afterwards progress towards beginner spells and move onwards to the more intermediate spells such as transfiguration. Making sure one's magic is in excellent condition is essential, otherwise the possibility of spell failure or backfire can occur.

Twilight Sparkle would be best suited to teach you how to use magic, so it is a good idea to seek her help on this matter.

Alicorns

Very rarely a human is turned into an alicorn such as the princesses, as such your magic is significantly more powerful than a regular unicorn's, once you learn how to fly the next task is to control your magic. Again Twilight Sparkle is best suited to teach you how to control your magical powers.

Now that you know what to expect when one is turned into a pony. The next chapter will cover things you should know about pony habits.

_Me: I know this chapter is short but I have to work with what I got._

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	7. Habits

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 7: Habits**

**Written by Jlargent**

_Me: Just three chapters left until the end of the fic so hang on tight! I do not own MLP in any shape or form. Typical disclaimers apply._

Now that you have integrated yourself into Equestrian society we'll take a look at some of the habits that ponies have.

Grammar and language.

Now when speaking to a pony you should avoid speaking like that of a human.

For example: Somebody should be changed into Somepony. This also applies to Everybody and Nobody just replace the word 'body' with 'pony. Also replace 'Hand' with 'Hoof' when referring to having a pony give you something, basically replace any and all human pronouns with Equestrian pronouns to avoid any and all confusion.

Now since the series itself is a children's show cursing is cut down significantly also it is possible that the magic that runs Equestria will actually prevent you from doing so.

Accents.

As you may've noticed Applejack tends to speak in a southern drawl while Rarity tends to speak in a refined accent reserved for high society. The reasons for this is because of their respective backgrounds and local dialects. Now of course it wouldn't surprise you that there would be different accents throughout Equesteria itself so it would stand to reason that there would be differences in accents.

Zecora accent is reminiscent of Swahili and even speaks the language as further proof of this.

Musical number.

From time to time the ponies can and will break out into song so participation is mandatory. And oddly enough if you are a terrible singer then the magic that resides in Equestria will actually fix that. Maybe not at the level of a professional singer but enough to where you can't butcher the song in question.

The next chapter will cover the history of the monarchs of Equestria Princess Celestia and her younger sister Princess Luna.

_Me: Keep the reviews coming! And keep the flag flying out there._

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	8. Royality

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 8: Royalty.**

**Written by Jlargent**

_Me: Sorry for the delay but when I heard about the season finale and the introduction to Princess Cadence I decided to wait until I learn more about her before publishing this chapter. Typical disclaimers apply I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in any shape or form._

Now as I have mentioned Equestria is ruled by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna this chapter will cover their history as well as their relatives Prince Blueblood and Princess Cadence.

Princess Celestia:Princess Celestia is introduced in the prologue of the first episode, depicted in a series of medieval-like drawings with a narration that says "two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land", and that "the elder used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night." This resembles Norse mythology, where the horses Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi are responsible for pulling the sun and moon, respectively, across the sky.

The narration continues: their subjects, the ponies, played in the day but "shunned" the night and slept through it, which made the younger unicorn grow bitter, eventually refusing to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. Her bitterness transformed her into a "wicked mare of darkness", Night Mare Moon. The elder sister reluctantly harnessed the power of the Elements of Harmony and banished her "_in_" the moon, taking responsibility for both sun and moon, maintaining harmony in Equestria.

More of Celestia's history is mentioned in The Return of Harmony Part 1. In the episode, she tells Twilight Sparkle and her friends that before Princess Luna and herself stood up to Discord, he ruled over Equestria, keeping it in a state of unrest and unhappiness. Celestia goes on to describe that seeing how miserable life was for Earth ponies, unicorns, and Pegasi alike, she and Luna discovered the Elements of Harmony and rose up against Discord, turning him to stone. Discord's spell is later broken because, as Celestia explains, "Luna and [herself] are no longer connected to the elements."

Princess Luna

Princess Luna is introduced in the prologue of the first episode, depicted in a series of medieval-like drawings with a narration that says "two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land", and that "the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night."

Princess Luna doesn't make any further appearances in the series until Luna Eclipsed, which aired exactly one year after her previous appearance. Princess Luna returned to the show exactly one year after the broadcast date of Friendship is Magic, part 2, in the episode Luna Eclipsed. The episode takes place in Ponyville during Nightmare Night. Despite wanting to win over the citizens of Ponyville, the townspeople are frightened of her booming voice and assertive manner. Twilight Sparkle tells Spike that Luna must be having trouble adjusting after being gone for a thousand years.

When Luna tries to express her happiness with being purged of her dark powers, Twilight tells her that she sounds like she's yelling, and Luna explains that she's using the "traditional Canterlot voice", the royal we, and high volume in order to properly address her subjects. She uses archaic terms like "hath," "thy," "nay," and "thou," as well as other idiomatic constructs.

Twilight encourages Luna to lower the volume of her voice, but Luna is hesitant. Twilight Sparkle recruits Fluttershy's help in teaching Luna to speak in a softer voice, and later takes her to Ponyville so Applejack can show her how to be likable. For a short while, Luna manages to mingle with the villagers of Ponyville and have fun with them, by playing games where she throws toy spiders or pumpkins onto a target.

Thanks to Pinkie Pie's insight, Twilight Sparkle realizes that because of the holiday, Pinkie Pie and her entourage actually want to be frightened, so she arranges for Luna to purposefully scare them. Luna appears as Night Mare Moon, scares the ponies, and bares fangs. After the ponies run away in fright, she changes back to her usual appearance and spits out the false fangs she was wearing, confused as to why Twilight wanted her to do that. Then one of the foals, Pipsqueak, approaches Luna on behalf of the children and asks her to come back and scare them again next year, even though she canceled Nightmare Night. Luna begins to understand and reinstates Nightmare Night, at which point Pipsqueak declares her his "favorite princess ever" and hugs her leg.

The princess manages to relinquish the use of her royal Canterlot voice, and in the epilogue she plays a variety of games with the villagers, accepts the foals' candy, and frightens Rainbow Dash by firing a bolt of lightning behind her.

Prince Blueblood

Prince Blueblood is a Unicorn who appears at the Grand Galloping Gala. He starts out as the object of Rarity's affections but soon turns out to not be what she was expecting. His name Blueblood is an English idiom for "nobility", or being of noble birth or descent. It has been recorded since 1834 and comes from the Spanish words _sangre azul_, describing Spanish royal families said to be descendants of the Visigoths.

Prince Blueblood first appears in Rarity's fantasy in The Ticket Master, where she envisions him as a nephew of Princess Celestia in her dream, they swiftly fall in love and marry. In The Best Night Ever, Rarity meets Prince Blueblood in person and he appears physically the same. Rarity expects him to court her as he did in her dream, but it is revealed that he is self-centered and snobbish.

Throughout the entire Grand Galloping Gala, Rarity tries to make pleasant company with Blueblood, but his self-centered nature drives her to the point of extreme irritation. After he uses her to shield himself from an incoming cake, Rarity finally snaps and tells him off as the most "uncaring prince she's ever met", and shakes the cake all over him in retaliation. After the Gala descends into chaos, Rarity and her friends leave the scene, but she loses her glass slipper when running down a set of stairs. Pinkie Pie suggests that now her prince is sure to find her; panic-stricken at the thought, Rarity smashes the slipper and runs off.

Princess Cadence

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza or Princess Cadence for short is Princess Celestia's niece and is married to Twilight Sparkle's older brother Shining Armor Captain of the Royal Guard. She was also Twilight's foal sitter when she was younger. She is known to be kind and considerate to others.

The next chapter will cover the allusions covered in the first two seasons of the series.

_To be continued._

_Me: That's right the allusions are coming and you'll notice some things that you never noticed!_

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	9. Allusions

**The Brony Survival Guide.**

**Chapter 9: Allusions.**

**Written By Jlargent**

_Me: This is it. After this is the final chapter of this guide. I enjoyed making this as you enjoyed reading it. I do not own MLP in any shape or form. The list is from the MLP Wiki._

Oddly enough the series makes several pop-culture references and tributes and most of us are aware of this but I compiled a list of allusions that covers the first two seasons of the series.

**Multiple episodes**

**Character names and design**

All the designs of the leading characters, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike are inspired by G1 characters: Twilight, Applejack, Firefly, Sparkler, Posey, Surprise, and Spike, respectively.

Applejack's name and the derisive nickname Appletini that Spike gives her in Bridle Gossip are both names of alcoholic beverages.

Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Braeburn, and several of the Apple family members' names are of apple cultivars. Still, other members' names are of culinary dishes made with apples.

Big Macintosh's design is inspired by the G1 Big Brother Ponies.

The royal guards wear crested helmets reminiscent of Roman galea.

Snips and Snails, two colts, are a reference to the nursery rhyme "What Are Little Boys Made Of?".

**Other names, titles, and design**

Canterlot is a portmanteau of "canter", a three-beat horse gait, and Camelot from Arthurian legends.

Cloudsdale's suffix, "dale", is an old word for a valley or open river valley, but the name is also a play on the Clydesdale breed of horse. The city's buildings and general design take clues from Greek culture, which is appropriate as the myth of Pegasus originated from Greek mythology.

The hot air balloon that is featured in the opening sequence and other episodes was requested to be incorporated into the show by Hasbro's toy division.

The Wonderbolts appear to be based on the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels. They resemble the Blue Angels in uniform color–blue and yellow–and the "flying bolt" logo, evocative of the "flying shield" portion of the Blue Angels logo.

**Mythology**

The show features dragons, unicorns, and Pegasi in multiple episodes, and several other mythological creatures detailed in individual episode sections below.

The realm of Tartarus is named after the Greek mythological.

**Re-use of assets**

**Audio:**

Granny Smith's voice clips from Friendship is Magic, part 1 are re-used to make every speaking appearance she has throughout season 1, excluding Griffon the Brush Off. In Family Appreciation Day, the "soup's on" voice clip is re-used again. In Ponyville Confidential, the "move your caboose!" voice clip from Family Appreciation Day is re-used.

Fluttershy's nervous squeal from Friendship is Magic, part 1 is reused twice throughout the series: in A Bird in the Hoof where she is crying over the supposed death of Philomina and again in Hurricane Fluttershy where she is crying under a tree.

The voice clip of Pinkie Pie's gasp upon meeting Twilight for the first time in Friendship is Magic, part 1, is re-used five times throughout the series: later in the same episode when Rarity confirms that Princess Celestia is missing; in Bridle Gossip, when everypony thinks that they crushed Applejack in the tub; reversed to form Fluttershy's inhalation in Sonic Rainboom; as Mrs. Cake's voice in A Bird in the Hoof, when Pinkie eats Princess Celestia's cupcake; and in MMMystery on the Friendship Express, when Pinkie sees that the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness has been eaten.

Twilight's cry of _"PINKIIIIIEEE!"_ is used twice in the series, the first being in The Ticket Master and the second in Hearth's Warming Eve.

The clip of Pinkie talking to Twilight at the beginning of Griffon the Brush Off is re-used in Sweet and Elite when Rarity regains consciousness.

Rarity's scream after Pinkie leaves her to fend for herself in Swarm of the Century is re-used three times throughout the series: in Lesson Zero, when Twilight runs to the Boutique; as the mother's scream in The Mysterious Mare Do Well; and in Secret of My Excess, when Spike's claw reaches through the window to grab Rarity.

The music that Pinkie Pie's one pony band plays to get rid of the Parasprites in Swarm of the Century, is re-used later as the party music in Pinkie's flashback scene in The Cutie Mark Chronicles.

Rarity's crying near the end of Winter Wrap Up is re-used in Suited for Success.

The music that plays during Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera party in Call of the Cutie is the same music that plays during the montage of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' attempts to earn their cutie marks in The Show Stoppers and during Pinkie Pie's birthday party toward the end of Party of One.

The line 'Holy Guacamole!' is one of the very few instances in which a single clip of audio is re-used in the same episode. It is spoken by Spike during the middle and end sections of Feeling Pinkie Keen and was originally intended to be his catchphrase before being dropped for undisclosed reasons.

Rarity's shocked reaction towards Twilight's mane from Friendship is Magic, part 1 is recycled as her excited laugh in Sonic Rainboom.

Fluttershy's chuckle at the end of Stare Master is re-used in the opening scene of Putting Your Hoof Down.

Scootaloo's line "What are you, a dictionary?" from The Return of Harmony Part 1 is used again in Family Appreciation Day.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice inspired background music from Secret of My Excess is used again in Hearts and Hooves Day when the Cutie Mark Crusaders are gathering the ingredients for the love potion.

**Episodes:**

**Season one**

**Friendship is Magic, part 1**

The episode's title that appears in Hasbro's viewing guide, Mare in the Moon, is a play on the mythical Man in the Moon.

Moondancer, mentioned but unseen in the episode, is the name of a G1 and G3 pony.

Twilight Sparkle resides in a literal ivory tower.

**Friendship is Magic, part 2**

A manticore is featured in this episode.

Fluttershy pulls a thorn from the manticore's paw, much like the classic tale of Androcles and the Lion.

The magic of the Elements of Harmony manifests as rainbow that envelops Night Mare Moon. The scene is reminiscent of the Rainbow of Light from the 1984 _My Little Pony_ pilot episode _Rescue at Midnight Castle_, where Megan defeats Tirac in a similar fashion.

**The Ticket Master**

The episode's title is a play on the American ticket company, Ticketmaster.

Fluttershy's line "Loons and Toucans and Bitterns, oh my!" echoes quote "Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!" from The Wizard of Oz.

The scene where Twilight and Spike are chased by a mob of ponies features bluegrass style sound-alike music of Yakety Sax from The Benny Hill Show.

Fluttershy is singing the _My Little Pony_ theme when Twilight Sparkle finds her cleaning the library.

**Applebuck Season**

During the bunny stampede, one of the background ponies, Rose, delivers the line "The horror, the horror...", which is from the Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, later used as the basis for the movie Apocalypse Now, which also uses the line at its end.

The stampede scene features bunnies running around a pony lying on the ground in a down shot, much like the scene in The Lion King when Mufasa is killed by the stampede.

After the bunny stampede, Daisy says, "By... by... THEM!", possibly a reference to the classic sci-fi film _Them!_

**Griffon the Brush Off**

A griffon is featured in this episode.

When Pinkie Pie is chasing Rainbow Dash, she uses the same bounding gait as Pepe le Pew uses in chasing his unwilling paramour in the Looney Tunes cartoons. The music heard is also in the same style as the aforementioned chase scenes.

Spike hums the _My Little Pony_ theme song when gathering scrolls at the town hall.

**Boast Busters**

The title of the episode is a play on the title of the Ghostbusters franchise.

The Great and Powerful Trixie shares her title with "The Great and Powerful Oz" from The Wizard of Oz.

Trixie's challenge to the audience echoes the phrase "anything you can do I can do better", which originated with the song of the same name from the 1946 Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun.

The ursa bears are named after the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, both featuring these constellations on their tails.

**Dragonshy**

When Fluttershy hears the dragon's snores, she stiffly falls to the side accompanied by a goat bleat, alluding to the behavior of some breeds of goat to stiffen and fall over after being startled (see Fainting Goat Syndrome).

Pinkie Pie's costume is similar to Daffy Duck's body in a scene from the Looney Tunes cartoon, Duck Amuck.

**Look Before You Sleep**

The title of Twilight Sparkle's book "_Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask_" is a play on the famous book Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask).

Twilight mentions the ghost story of the Headless Horse, a play on the Headless Horseman of European folklore.

The name "Look Before You Sleep" is an allusion to the age-old saying "Look before you leap."

**Bridle Gossip**

The title is a pun on the term "idle gossip", adding in the word "bridle", which is the harness used by horseback riders for directing horses, in keeping with the show's Equine theme.

Poison joke is explicitly compared to Poison Oak, a real-life poisonous plant.

When Zecora comes back to Ponyville, one of the ponies delivers the line "The horror, the horror..." for the second time in the series. The line originates Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, which was later used in the Francis Ford Coppola film, Apocalypse Now.

**Swarm of the Century**

Princess Celestia leaves Ponyville early because of an infestation in "Fillydelphia", a play on the city of Philadelphia.

The title is a pun of the mini-series "Storm of the Century".

The infestation and Pinkie Pie's use of music to lure the parasprites out of Ponyville were adapted from the Pied Piper of Hamelin legend.

**Winter Wrap Up**

Twilight bathing in tomato juice after being sprayed by the skunks references the popular myth that bathing or applying tomato juice removes skunk odor.

When they leave Spike sleeping on the ice floating in the middle of a lake, it references the scene in the 1979 film "Meatballs", the scene in which the camp counselors leave their director, Morty, asleep on a floating platform in the middle of a lake.

**Call of the Cutie**

The episode title is either a play on the phrase "call of duty", or on the title of the classic novel The Call of the Wild, which tells the story of a dog trying to finds its true identity.

The inside of the dojo where Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash practice karate has pictures of silhouettes of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on the walls, as they are illustrated in the prologue of Friendship is Magic, part 1.

Diamond Tiara's "cute-ceañera", "a party celebrating me and my fantastic cutie mark", borrows its name and purpose from the Latin American celebration quinceañera, a coming-of-age party for girls reaching the age of fifteen.

**Fall Weather Friends**

The title is a play on the term "fair weather friends", which refers to people who are only friends when it is convenient–fair weather–and will abandon their friends at times of strife.

The Iron Pony competition shares its name and premise with the sports competition Ironman Triathlon.

When Rainbow Dash accidentally knocks apples off a tree onto her head, they fall to the tune of Shave and a Haircut.

The Running of the Leaves tradition shares its name with the famous Running of the Bulls tradition in Spain.

**Suited For Success**

Rarity's Dressmaking Song is a direct homage to Stephen Sondheim's song _Putting It Together_ from the musical Sunday in the Park with George.

Pinkie Pie's line "I _love_ something. Something's my favorite." echoes the line "I love smiling. Smiling's my favorite" from the film Elf.

When Rarity considers exile she says, "Where would I go? And what would I pack?" in a fashion that echoes a line by Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 classic film Gone With The Wind, "Where shall I go? What shall I do?"

The sequence where Rarity has locked herself in her room and says "I _vant_ to be alone" with an Eastern European accent echoes the famous phrase associated with actress Greta Garbo.

This line may also be a reference to the G1 episode "Sonambula", when the similarly accented Heartthrob declares that she "vants to be alone".

Hoity Toity bears a strong resemblance to Karl Lagerfeld, head designer and creative director for the Chanel fashion house.

The headdress for Rainbow Dash's "perfect dress" strongly resembles the shape of the helmet of the comic book character The Rocketeer.

The musical opening of Rarity's second fashion show has a short sound-alike segment for Also sprach Zarathustra, popularized in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The music that accompanies Fluttershy is a sound-alike of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune.

**Feeling Pinkie Keen**

The episode was developed from the old wives tale of achy joints predicting the weather and the Raining Animals Phenomena, which was expanded into Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense.

Fluttershy's fear prevents her from flying, as it does in Dragonshy. However when she has to jump to safety, she uses what she learned from Dragonshy and works up her nerve by repeating a line from Pinkie Pie's song.

The episode features a Hydra, a mythological creature of Greek legend.

**Sonic Rainboom**

Rarity's hubris, leading to the loss of her wings to the sun, echoes the story of Icarus from Greek mythology. In the story, Icarus attempts to escape Crete by means of wings that his father constructed from feathers and wax. Overcome by his pride, he ignores instructions not to fly too close to the sun, which melts the wax and causes him to fall to his death.

The music that plays during Rarity's performance is a rearrangement of the waltz from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

The episode title is pun on Sonic Boom, which is associated with shock waves created by an object traveling through the air faster than the speed of sound.

**Stare Master**

The title is a play on the exercise device Stairmaster.

The episode features a Cockatrice, which is a creature of legend mentioned from antiquity to the middle ages.

Rarity mentions filling a special order for "Trottingham," a pun on the city of Nottingham, England.

When Rarity is holding the cut gold silk, the violin shrieks from the shower scene in Psycho plays.

**The Show Stoppers**

Daniel Ingram, the show's music composer, describes the Cutie Mark Crusaders Song on his website as "cheesy '80s with 3 out of tune soloists."

Scootaloo's failure to find a decent rhyme, frustrated "NEVER, NEVER!", and piano head-desking are lifted straight from Don Music in Sesame Street.

**A Dog and Pony Show**

The phrase "a dog and pony show" originated in 19th century America as a term for small traveling circuses that toured through rural areas. The modern usage refers to an over-staged performance. Typically, the term is used to connote disdain, jocular lack of appreciation, or distrust of the message being presented or the efforts undertaken to present it.

The episode's plot is reminiscent of the O. Henry story The Ransom of Red Chief, in which a young boy's antics drive his kidnappers so crazy that they end up paying his family to take him back.

Sapphire Shores' upcoming tour, _Zigfilly Follies_, is a reference to the Ziegfeld Follies series of theatrical productions.

The bejeweled costume bears a very striking resemblance to the jumpsuits worn by Rock & Roll Legend Elvis Presley during his 1970s heyday, with a large heavy collar, flared wavy cuffs, and a golden belt.

The Diamond Dogs take their name from David Bowie's famous concept album and its titular song, Diamond Dogs.

In Spike's fantasy, the Diamond Dogs attack with the characteristic slow motion leap and 'bionic' sound effect from The Six Million Dollar Man.

Applejack's phrase "Kick 'em up, kick 'em out. Buck 'em up, buck 'em down" is a reference to Rawhide, a song performed by Frankie Laine.

Spike's chant, "Hi-ho Twilight! Away!" is a reference to The Lone Ranger.

**Green Isn't Your Color**

The color green, mentioned in the episode's title, is sometimes associated with envy.

Photo Finish wears the same distinct hairstyle and sunglasses as Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue magazine.

Photo Finish's name comes from "photo finish" - the phenomenon when two racehorses (or other athletes) cross the finish line together and only a photograph can determine the winner.

**Over a Barrel**

The main locale of the episode, Appleloosa, takes its name from the Appaloosa breed of horse.

Fluttershy calling Spike "Huffy the Magic Dragon" is a reference to the 1963 folk song Puff, the Magic Dragon sung by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Spike plays the piano in this episode. His predecessor in the My Little Pony movie _Escape from Midnight Castle_ has a similar scene where he plays the piano.

The battle scene at Appleloosa when a buffalo strikes a haystack with an anvil behind it is the same gag from the 1953 Bugs Bunny cartoon _"A Bully for Bugs,"_ in which a bull hits an anvil behind Bugs' toreador cape.

The name of the episode references an old idiom "over a barrel". To have someone "over a barrel", is to have them at your mercy.

**A Bird in the Hoof**

The episode's title is a play on the phrase "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".

The scene with Angel holding a pocket watch references Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which one of the characters is a white rabbit that carries a pocket watch and is always running somewhere due to being late. In addition, Fluttershy's remark "I'm late, for a very important date" is a quote from Disney's 1951 film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

Fluttershy stresses over how she looks and what to wear, and looks through a rack of dresses which carries the Grand Galloping Gala dresses from Suited for Success.

The scene where the ponies pursue Philomeena is accompanied by sound-alike music to Yakkety Sax, made famous in The Benny Hill Show chase scenes.

The scene where Fluttershy attempts to feed birdseed to Philomeena was storyboarded to look like a talk show, and Philomeena's bird-seed-eating gag was styled after similar gags from the Roadrunner Looney Tunes cartoons.

Hummingway, Fluttershy's hummingbird, is likely a pun on Ernest Hemingway.

Fluttershy, again, sings the _My Little Pony_ theme song.

**The Cutie Mark Chronicles**

"Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns" is similarly named to X-Men's "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters".

Applejack travels to Manehattan, a play on Manhattan, a borough of New York City. New York City is also known as the Big Apple.

The Orange family's name is a reference to the phrase "apples and oranges", a comparison of two very different things, much like how Applejack does not appreciate the Orange family's very different lifestyle.

**Owl's Well That Ends Well**

When Spike falls asleep in the punch bowl, Pinkie Pie says "And now the punch has been... _Spiked_!", a play on "spiking the punch", which means adding alcohol to the punch.

The title is a play on the phrase "All's well that ends well".

**Party of One**

Pinkie Pie's chant to Gummy: "Go Gummy! It's your birthday! Go Gummy! It's your birthday!" is a paraphrase of hip-hop artist 50 Cent's In Da Club.

At the party near the end of the episode, when Spike tries to dance with Rarity, he does a dance move made famous by the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever.

When Pinkie Pie is chasing Rainbow Dash, she chases her by hopping a way that is similar to the way Pepe le Pew of Looney Tunes fame would chase after Penelope Pussycat.

Pinkie Pie's imaginary friend in this episode, named "Rocky", appears to be a reference to Sylvester Stallone, who is known for his rough accent, as well as his portrayal as Rocky Balboa in the Boxing movie series "Rocky".

**The Best Night Ever**

The episode has several fairy tale references:

The magical apple carriage, the mice being turned into horses, and Rarity accidentally leaving her glass slipper are elements from Cinderella.

Hayseed maintaining the garden says he likes to "whistle while [he] works," a reference to Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The whistle is the same tune Snow White sings into the well.

The golden apple tree Spike mentions at the beginning of the episode that he wants to show Applejack could be from a number of fairy tales, The Golden Bird by The Brothers Grimm being an example.

Fluttershy's plan to catch the animals, complete with maniacal laughter, somewhat echoes the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.

Princess Celestia creates an arc of twinkling stars over her castle in the same manner of the Walt Disney Pictures title sequence.

The song sung before the gala is a sound-alike of _Ever After_ from the fairy-tale-themed musical Into the Woods.

Pinkie Pie`s Pony Pokey is a version of the hokey cokey dance.

Pinkie Pie's song I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala is sung to the tune of For He's a Jolly Good Fellow.

**Season two:**

**The Return of Harmony Part 1**

Discord is inspired by John de Lancie's popular character Q from the second Star Trek television series, and he ended up voicing him.

The "chocolate rain" used by Discord is likely a reference to Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday.

**The Return of Harmony Part 2**

According to director Jayson Thiessen, one of the storyboard artists decided to board the award ceremony sequence at the end of the episode as a shot-for-shot equivalent of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, though parts of the sequence were ultimately cut to shorten the episode.

**Lesson Zero**

The scene where Twilight starts talking to her reflection in a puddle is similar to the scene with Gollum from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

**Luna Eclipsed**

The episode title could be a pun on "lunar eclipse", which is when the sun, moon, and Earth are directly in line with one another.

The holiday in the episode, (Nightmare Night) has similarities to the holiday Halloween. Both holidays involve children going door-to-door in costumes to collect candy, costume parties, and spooks.

**Sisterhooves Social**

Rarity paraphrases the famous line from the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!". Fluttershy does the same later on Putting Your Hoof Down.

**The Cutie Pox**

At the bowling alley, four of the male ponies look similar to characters from the film The Big Lebowski, which features the theme of bowling.

A 'ponified' version of the painting American Gothic hangs on the wall in the living room of the Apple family's house.

One of the cutie marks Apple Bloom receives is a red shoe which causes her to dance uncontrollably, like the main character in the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Red Shoes.

The statue Apple Bloom constructs is Venus Anadyomene, a common theme in art in antiquity and the renaissance.

Applejack asks Zecora, "Was your zebra sense a-tinglin'?", which is a reference to Spider-Man's spider-sense ability.

**May the Best Pet Win!**

One of the cats under Fluttershy's care looks similar to those from the Littlest Pet Shop toyline, another Hasbro-owned property.

The bat contestant plays the _My Little Pony_ theme song on a glass harmonica.

The fire trail left by Rainbow Dash is similar to Back to the Future when the Delorean reaches 88mhp.

The streaks left behind by Dash's sprinting on the race track bears resemblance to those of the lightcycles from Tron.

The music that plays while Rainbow Dash flies through the canyon, up until the rockslide, is "Ride of the Valkyries" from famous German composer Richard Wagner. The piece is better known for its use in the helicopter scene from "Apocalypse Now".

**The Mysterious Mare Do Well**

The episode's lead storyboard artist, Sabrina Alberghetti, commented on how the crew incorporated "one [superhero] cliché after another" in a "fun tongue-in-cheek kind of way." Among them:

Rainbow Dash's catchphrase, "never fear, your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!" is a play on both "your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man", and "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!"

The Mysterious Mare Do Well shares the same purple-and-black color scheme and wide-brim hat and black ribbon as Darkwing Duck. Alberghetti had worked on Darkwing Duck comics before, however she did not design the character.

The fanfare, accompanying music, and rally posters of the Mare Do Well strongly resemble the same from Batman: The Animated Series.

The musical score as the cart rolls uncontrollably downhill mimics the score of the film Speed.

The name "Mare Do Well" is an ironic reference to the term ne'er-do-well, a person who does no good.

**Sweet and Elite**

Among other places Rarity visits in the montage is an art exhibit, where the central painting on the wall combines elements of Salvador Dalí's paintings, particularly The Persistence of Memory. The painting to the left resembles Pablo Picasso's signature style of Cubism. The painting to the right is an abstract style akin to the works of Kandinsky. The show's director, Jayson Thiessen, had hinted about Salvador Dali and avant-garde in an interview in September 2011, long before the episode's initial broadcast.

The bags that Rarity uses to carry her shopping in before she runs into Fancypants for the first time have two horseshoes arranged to imitate the Chanel fashion house branding.

**Secret of My Excess**

One of the working titles of the episode, "Attack of the 50 Foot Dragon", is a play on the movie title Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and it hints to the episode's "giant monster rampaging through a city" theme that popularized by the 1954 film Godzilla.

The siren that sounds when Spike begins rampaging through the town is similar in design and sound to Civil Defense sirens of the 1950s and '60s.

The kidnapping of Rarity and subsequent aerial assault on Spike draws parallels with the classic 1933 film King Kong.

The music that plays when Twilight is re-shelving bears a strong resemblance to the theme for _Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, _a musical piece written in 1874 by Paul Abraham Dukas.

The episode title is pun on the comedy film "The Secret of My Success" starring Michael J. Fox.

**Hearth's Warming Eve**

A creature similar to Discord is depicted fighting a Pegasus on a relief in the theater.

The Pegasus Tribe culture is based on Classical Greece.

Some of Canterlot's decorations are similar to Christmas Decorations.

**Family Appreciation Day**

The Smith family's appearance highly resembles the Western American pioneers of the late 1800s. Additionally, the wagon they hauled resembled the type of covered wagons used during the period.

**Baby Cakes**

The brief screeching violins that play when Pinkie Pie finds Pound Cake on the ceiling echo the musical piece The Murder, made famous by the film Psycho. The scene in general is modeled after horror films, with an unidentified silhouette crawling in the shadows.

The music that plays when Pinkie Pie urges the Cakes to pick her as babysitter is based on Aquarela do Brasil, a Brazilian samba standard from the 1930s.

Pinkie's instructions for using the crib mirror a line from The Simpsons episode The Last Temptation of Homer.

**The Last Roundup**

The scene where Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy work at a conveyor belt and can't handle the pace is a homage to the television series I Love Lucy. The scene replicates one from the _I Love Lucy_ episode "Job Switching", where Lucy and Ethel wear mushroom-like hats and work on a production line wrapping candies. They can't handle the pace and stuff the unhandled chocolates into their hats and mouths.

Rainbow Dash mentions Calamity Mane and Wild Bull Hickok, whose names are based off two prominent Wild West figures.

Dodge Junction is a namesake of Dodge City, a famous locale for Western films.

Applejack's quote "I need to get out of dodge," is a reference to a quote from the TV show Gunsmoke, in which villains were told to "Get the hell out of Dodge."

**The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000**

The musical number The Flim Flam Brothers shares many similarities with the number "Ya Got Trouble" from The Music Man. Specifically, the identical rhyming styles, staccatos, and theme of smooth talkers trying to win over a small town. Also, mid-song, the ponies chant "cider, cider, cider" in the same manner that the people of River City chanted "trouble, trouble, trouble" in the _Music Man_ number.

The scene where one of the Flim Flam brothers asks Granny Smith if she's "chicken" bears similarities in staging and dialog to a scene from the film Back to the Future Part II.

The competition between the Apple family and the machine is a homage to the legend of John Henry.

**Read It and Weep**

The musical cue that plays when Rainbow Dash looks at the book and starts reading it is very similar to the one that plays in a similar scene in the film The NeverEnding Story.

The title "Read It and Weep" is a reference to a saying of the same name.

The quote of Pinkie Pie saying "Did the crash somehow give her super-duper spider powers?" and the doctor saying "No, nor it gave her the amazing healing powers", resembles to Marvel Comics references; the "spider powers" resembles to Spider-Man, and "healing powers" resembles to Wolverine from the X-Men.

The game that Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle play with Rainbow Dash is very similar to Battleship, which is produced by Milton Bradley and owned by Hasbro.

The Ahuitzotl is a creature of Aztec mythology.

Ahuitzotl petting his white cat at the end of the Daring Do story is a cinematic element made famous by the character Ernst Stavro Blofeld of the James Bond series.

There are several allusions to the Indiana Jones franchise:

The harp plucking that plays when Daring Do first enters the temple bears a strong resemblance to the music that plays in the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones casually brushes spiders off of his back.

The sunlight shining into the chamber is a reference to the map room scene from _Raiders of the Lost Ark_, where the sunlight shines on a crystal at the center of the room.

The way Daring Do makes her way to the Sapphire Stone's pedestal mirrors a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where the titular hero navigates a trap floor by only stepping on the correct tiles.

The scene where Daring Do retrieves the Sapphire Stone mirrors a scene from _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ in which Indiana Jones retrieves a statue of an idol from pedestal.

**Hearts and Hooves Day**

The holiday featured in the episode shares many similarities with Valentine's Day and was originally aired a few days before the holiday. It features couples spending time together and the exchange of greeting cards.

**A Friend in Deed**

The episode's title is part of the phrase "a friend in need is a friend indeed".

"Cranky Doodle Donkey" has the same meter as Yankee Doodle Dandy, a pejorative song sung by the British to mock the American revolutionaries. Pinkie sings a song about him to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy.

The song she sings at the end is based on the version of the song from the film of the same name

Pinkie's line "Ooh, what does this bauble do?" is nearly homophonic to "Ooh, what does this button do?", the catchphrase of the character Dee Dee from the cartoon Dexter's Laboratory.

**Putting Your Hoof Down**

Fluttershy paraphrases the famous line from the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!", much like Rarity in Sisterhooves Social. Though in these cases, "God" is replaced by "Celestia".

The name "Putting Your Hoof Down" is a reference to the saying, "Putting your foot down," which refers to when someone stops dealing with an exasperating situation.

In a scene featuring the character Iron Will in his workshop for assertiveness, a background music clip borrows from the primary motif of _Eye of the Tiger_ by Survivor.

Iron Will's presentation takes place in the center of a hedge-maze, a reference to the Labyrinth of Greek mythology, which held the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull creature, at its center.

Iron Will's character appears to be inspired by actor Lawrence Tureaud, aka Mr. T, and other characters of the 'Macho Man' archetype. The inspiration extends even further to the former using a variation of the latter's famous 'I pity the fool' catchphrase.

Pinkie Pie's negotiation trick with the Tomato Stallholder and Iron Will is derived from a similar trick used in several Looney Tunes animated shorts, including 1946's Baseball Bugs and 1951's Rabbit Fire.

Some of Iron Will's gestures in theatrics resemble those of professional wrestlers. Most notably when Iron Will states that he wants to hear the audience, he makes a hand gesture to his ear similar to that of one of wrestling legend, Hulk Hogan's signature taunts.

The episode incorporates a sound-alike of the theme "The Lonely Man" from the CBS television series The Incredible Hulk.

**It's About Time**

This episode borrows two elements from Greek mythology:

The Cerberus is the three-headed canine that protects the gateway to the Underworld, the realm of the dead.

Tartarus, the area that the Cerberus in this episode guards, is one of the darker and deeper depths of the Underworld where the wicked are said to depart to after death.

When Rainbow Dash reports to Twilight about the safety of Ponyville, she mentions "Fillydelphia" and "Las Pegasus", a play on the cities of Philadelphia and Los Angeles or Las Vegas respectively. Later, she also mentions "Baltimare", a play on the city of Baltimore.

The background music that plays during the encounter between Twilight and her future self is homophonic to _I am the Doctor_, the main theme of the Doctor Who series.

**Dragon Quest**

The episode shares its name with a popular RPG series.

The episode's plot is similar to an episode from the 1980s series My Little Pony, "Spike's Search" where Spike goes on a quest to learn to be a dragon and gets involved with a group of dragons who turn out to be thieves and bullies.

The game "King of the Hoard" the teenage dragons play appears to be the same as the children's game "King of the Hill."

The soundtrack during Spike's encounter with the teenage dragons features a sound-alike of wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's arena theme.

**Hurricane Fluttershy**

In the opening scene, Fluttershy tries to avoid going to the Pegasus meeting by disguising herself as a tree. This is likely a reference to her famous line from _Over a Barrel_, "I'd like to be a tree", which has become an in-joke in the fan community.

Twilight line "Do I look like I speak squirrel?" is a reference to Bubbles from The Powerpuff girls as Tara Strong voiced both of them. Lauren Faust also developed both series.

**Ponyville Confidential**

The title of the episode is an allusion to James Ellroy's 1990 novel L.A. Confidential, and the 1997 film adaptation. The episode's theme is a reference to its _Hush Hush Magazine_ subplot.

The headline "Snips and Snails and Bubblegum Fails" is an allusion to the nursery rhyme "What Are Little Boys Made Of?".

Rarity's line _"Et tu, Gabby Gums?"_ is an allusion to the Latin phrase "Et tu, Brute?", traditionally attributed to Julius Caesar in the Shakespeare play of the same name, and is meant to express great shock against a trusted one's betrayal.

"Gabby Gums" line, "XOXO, Gabby Gums" is an allusion to the book and TV series "Gossip Girl", where the voice of the character always signs out with the phrase "XOXO, Gossip Girl."

One of Apple Bloom's baby photos is posed the same as the Coppertone girl ad.

Ponyville's newspaper, _The Ponyville Express_, is similar in name to the Pony Express, a famous mail service used in 1860 and 1861 in the United States.

**MMMystery on the Friendship Express**

The title of the episode references the 1934 crime novel Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie, as does the outcome of the case: nearly every passenger is responsible for one part of the "crime".

The hat Pinkie Pie wears and the bubble blowing pipe are references to the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Twilight's hat also resembles that of John Watson, Sherlock's partner.

When Pinkie Pie describes how Gustave sliced the cake, the animation takes cues from old, black and white, silent movies.

When describing the cake Pinkie Pie references the song, "It's De-Lovely".

Mulia Mild's name and mannerisms are a reference to Julia Child.

Doughnut Joe appears to be a reference to Buddy Valestro from the TLC reality show, Cake Boss.

Doughnut Joe's persona in Pinkie Pie's fantasy, "Con Mane", is a reference to fictional secret agent, James Bond.

Pinkie's fantasy about Mulia destroying the cake is a reference to the Japanese film Yojimbo and Ninja movies in general.

At one point Pinkie Pie says she wants to know "who done it" before Twilight Sparkle pedantically corrects her grammar. The type of mystery being spoofed in this episode is known as a "Who Done It" as opposed to a "How Catch 'Em" or "Procedural."

The episode also references the 1943 film, I Dood It, starring Red Skelton.

**A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1**

The Canterlot wedding (and the advertisements and promotions for the episode), are all a nod to The Royal Wedding of 2011. Specifically, the characters' attires match that of the special guests.

This episode marks the second time Celestia gets angrily disappointed with Twilight, the first being back in Lesson Zeroafter her "want it, need it" spell got out of control and led to chaos.

**A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2**

The lyrics and motif of This Day Aria references the 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid when Ursula, under the guise of Vanessa, is singing in front of a mirror talking about how she will have control over Ariel.

At the end of the fight sequence, the six ponies burst through a group of changelings as a dramatic music cue plays. This is a reference to a sequence from the second Matrix movie, where the protagonist Neo escapes a mob of Smith clones in the same fashion.

The fight between Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis is reminiscent of the climax of _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_, where Harry and Lord Voldemort create a beam of magic between their wands and push "beads of light" back and forth along it. As in the episode, when the beads reach Voldemort's wand-tip the beam is broken and he is launched backwards in defeat.

The next chapter will cover the antagonists of the series.

_Me: Please keep the reviews coming! They make the fanfic community go round,_

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


	10. Antagonists

**The Brony Survival Guide**

**Chapter 10: Antagonists**

**Written by Jlargent**

_Me: This is it the final chapter! When I first started this I had no idea it would be this popular. With that being said I present to you the final chapter in The Brony Survival Guide, typical disclaimers apply I do not own MLP in any shape or form._

Of course every group of heroines need an antagonist to try and make trouble, otherwise what would the point of having power if you can't use it? This chapter will cover the antagonists from seasons one and two.

**Season one:**

Night Mare Moon

When Princess Luna's jealously towards her sister Princess Celestia reached its peak her power changed her into a ruthless being wanting to plunge the world into eternal night. Only for her to be stopped by Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony, using their power she banished Night Mare Moon for a thousand years on the moon.

Much like an archetypal, over-the-top villains, Night Mare Moon is overly confident of herself and dramatically declares that the protagonist is a fool (foal) for thinking she can defeat her, and that "the night will last forever".

Night Mare Moon uses her magic to indirectly set obstacles in Twilight's and her friends' path to the Elements of Harmony, making creatures unwittingly assist her, like the manticore whose paw she embeds with a thorn so he'd attack the ponies, or the sea serpent whose mustache she cuts off so he'd make the river impassible. She further indirectly attacks the ponies by causing a cliff side to collapse underneath the ponies' feet, and by making trees appear as monsters. As the Shadowbolts, she tries to persuade Rainbow Dash to abandon her friends so they won't be able to cross a fallen bridge and reach the Elements of Harmony. Despite her indirect approach, when she is attacked by the royal guards, she quickly repels them with lightning, then turns into mist and floats away. She also confronts Twilight Sparkle directly when the two charge at each other, right before shattering the Elements of Harmony.

She was defeated when Twilight realized that she and her newly acquired friends represent the Elements of Harmony freeing Princess Luna from her trapped state.

Gilda

Gilda is a griffon and was an old friend of Rainbow Dash during Flight Camp she arrived in Ponyville to catch up with her but was constantly interrupted by Pinkie Pie's actions. When she was alone by herself she showed little tolerance towards the ponies even scaring Fluttershy even though she was trying to apologize for bumping into her. Pinkie happened to see this and decided upon a way to get revenge by hosting a party in her honor.

At Pinkie Pie's party, Gilda seems to hold back her temper and misbehavior around Dash, but she eventually snaps after getting repeatedly pranked and she lashes out at Pinkie and the other ponies. She goes on about being "cool", blindly mistaking the pranks as Pinkie's doing, and leaves in a huff when Dash tells her she better find other "cool" friends. In truth, the pranks were set up by Rainbow Dash for other ponies, however Gilda always happened to be the victim.

Enraged at the revelation she called Rainbow Dash "Un-cool" and a flip-flop and tells her that she'll be waiting when she decides to leave her friends behind.

Trixie

Trixie is a traveling performer that is incredibly boastful about her skills as a magician and often speaks in third person . Trixie's claims and proclaim her as the most magical and talented pony ever. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack take Trixie's challenge to see who is better, only to be humiliated one by one. Twilight Sparkle, who fears that she might lose her friends if she shows off her magic like Trixie, doesn't accept the challenge and runs off. Trixie then proclaims herself victorious, and ends her show.

After the performance she bragged that she defeated a Ursa Major to Snips and Snails and later that evening they went to a nearby cave and unintentionally awoke an actual Ursa Major and chases them to Ponyville where they informed Trixie about it and after failing to actually defeating it she confessed that she made the story up to increase her reputation so Twilight Sparkle took it upon herself to try and stop it.

After putting it to sleep she revealed that the Ursa Major was in reality a Ursa _Minor _an infant version of the Ursa Major. Trixie snaps out of her stupor and decides to take credit for Twilight's actions and escaped.

Diamond Dogs

When Rarity ran low on gems for her dresses she asks Spike to accompany her to retrieve more gems. Their journey leads them to the mountains outside of Ponyville where a large deposit of gemstones which Spike used his claws to dig for.

The Diamond Dogs secretly watch Rarity and Spike as they collect gems, initially thinking Spike is the gem finder, before realizing that Rarity is using her magic to find them. They then make themselves known and tell Rarity they hunt for gems, and will hunt for her since she can find the gems. They have a tussle with Rarity and Spike but manage to abduct Rarity into their extensive system of underground mines.

They attempt to force Rarity to find gems for them, but Rarity puts on a complaining and whining act, tricking them into doing all the work while she relaxes. When Rover gets wise to this, he forces Rarity to pull the gem cart, calling her a mule. In response, Rarity acts hurt, crying loudly about being compared to an "old, ugly mule." By the time Rarity's friends arrive to save her, the Diamond Dogs are begging for Rarity to leave, even letting her take all their gems with her.

**Season two:**

Discord

Discord is the god of chaos and disharmony and he ruled Equestria in a perpetual state of never ending chaos, which would range from abnormal weather patterns to physically altering reality around him to suit his needs and desires as he sees fit. Of course he was eventually stopped by the royal sisters due to the fact that he did not take his confrontation seriously.

Prior to Princess Luna's transformation into Night Mare Moon both she and her sister Princess Celestia wielded the Elements of Harmony to turn him into stone. Over the course of a thousand years the magic that trapped him gradually weakened to the point where he escaped, once freed he restarted his campaign of chaos, taking the Elements of Harmony and hiding them so he could play a game with Twilight Sparkle and her friends, Twilight figures out that he placed the Elements of Harmony inside the Royal Maze inside of the castle gardens.

When Twilight and her friends venture into the palace labyrinth, Discord magically removes the ponies' wings and horns so that they would be unable to use their magic or be able to fly to "cheat" in the "game" he forces them to take part in. He also separates them by raising sections of the labyrinth's walls. Discord uses representations of the cast's cutie marks to subtly manipulate them into behaving in discordance with the element they represent. The one exception is Fluttershy, who doesn't fall for Discord's manipulation leading him to snap and simply convert her by touch. He bids her goodbye with an extremely agitated "arrivederci".

He eventually plays with Rainbow Dash's loyalty to her friends by showing her a vision that her hometown of Cloudsdale would be destroyed without her. He offers her a choice: she can either have her wings back and go to the aid of Cloudsdale, or continue seeking the Elements. This tricks her into flying out of the labyrinth, breaking Discord's rule that magic and wings are forbidden. Discord, having "won," then causes the entire labyrinth to collapse, and standing before the five remaining ponies, gleefully states that Equestria will now be thrust into eternal chaos.

Twilight is upset when Discord takes away the maze before they can find the Elements of Harmony until Discord reveals they were not in the labyrinth, as she thought. Discord magically shows her the riddle again, and she realizes that the Elements are "back where she began." Afterwards, Discord turns Ponyville into what he claims will be the "chaos capital of Equestria". Twilight finds the elements and forcibly places them on the corrupted ponies and Spike (substituting for the absent Rainbow Dash). However, Discord is unimpressed, and the Elements fail completely. When Twilight finally cures all her corrupted friends, Discord continues to act calm and complacent, thus allowing him to be easily defeated with the reawakened powers of the Elements. After being struck with a rainbow similar to that previously used on Night Mare Moon, Discord is turned back into stone, but this time with an expression of horror frozen onto his face.

_Description: _

The word "draconequus" is composed of the Latin "draco" and "equus", meaning "dragon horse". Discord is a combination of many body parts from different creatures. His head is horse-like, much different from the other character's head styles, with a deer antler on the right, a goat horn on the left, one long fang, different-sized pupils, a snake tongue, and a beard. He has the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat. In addition, he has a bat's right wing, a Pegasus' left wing, and a snake's tail. A creature composed of several different animals is called a chimera. While Discord is technically a chimera in that sense, this term is not used in the show.

Flim Flam Brothers

The Flim Flam Brothers are a pair of unicorn salesmen that tried to run the Apple Family out of business through trickery and lies. They drive into one of the gates of Sweet Apple Acres' apple orchard on a cider-making contraption and introduce themselves through song and dance. They challenge the Apple Family to a cider-making competition against their machine, The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000.

With Ponyville's citizens faced with the dilemma of a limited quantity of manually pressed cider, they turn to the Flim Flam brothers and their automated cider production. The brothers attempt to broker a deal with the Apple Family, who will supply them with their delicious apples, and they will sell the cider under the Flim Flam brothers' name. They call for a 75-25 split in profits in their favor. The Apple Family denies the offer, which prompts Flim to state that if the Apple Family refuses to partner up with the brothers, they will run the family out of business and Ponyville. The Flim Flam brothers challenge and provoke the Apple family into a cider-making competition.

The Apple family uses their skills at manual labor to beat the brothers, but they soon find out that the Flim Flam brothers' technology is overpowering them. Twilight, seeing that the Apple Family needs help, asks the mayor if she can help. The Mayor asks the brothers, who allow it. Twilight and the others eventually get the Apples to produce more barrels, endangering the brothers' lead.

The brothers, in a panic, enhance the suction of their machine, causing it to suck up whole trees. This tactic results in the apples being pulped and mixed with rocks and branches, meaning none of them were accepted and made into cider. To fix this, the brothers change the setting of the machine so it no longer performs a quality check on what goes into their cider, which allows them to fill their barrels much faster. Eventually, it is announced that the Flim Flam brothers win due to the amount of cider produced. But bypassing the quality check causes the cider to taste horrible and all the ponies refuse to drink it. Realizing nobody in Ponyville will pay for their cider, even though they won, the Flim Flam brothers decide to try the next town over and beat a hasty retreat.

Queen Chrysalis 

Queen Chrysalis first appears as Princess Cadance looking and sounding like her, but acting different enough to raise Twilight Sparkle's suspicions, though Twilight's friends, Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia don't buy Twilight's story. Chrysalis walks on-screen right after Twilight's flashback and description of her memory of Cadance as a beautiful, loving, and kind pony, from when she foal-sat Twilight. Chrysalis doesn't recognize Twilight, which unsettles her and raises her suspicions. When Chrysalis comes to check the menu for the wedding, she insists on being called "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza", and even though she politely compliments Applejack on her baking, she throws away the food Applejack offers her, again raising the ire of Twilight. When she comes to inspect the dresses Rarity is sewing for the wedding, she sneers at her bridesmaids who praise the dresses and asks Rarity to make the dresses a different color. She sarcastically remarks on Pinkie Pie's party plans that they're "perfect... if you were celebrating a six-year-old's birthday party." Twilight sums up Chrysalis's behavior to her friends as "an awful pony who doesn't deserve to even know Shining Armor let alone marry him." When Twilight tries to broach the matter with Shining Armor, Chrysalis interrupts them before Twilight has a chance to say anything; Twilight comments that "she sure has a way of sneaking up on people." Chrysalis asks Shining Armor into the other room, where she casts a spell on him that makes his eyes roll. Twilight spies on them through the door and runs out after seeing Chrysalis cast the spell.

At the wedding rehearsal, Twilight accuses Chrysalis of being evil and levies some accusations on her. Chrysalis tears up and runs away, and Shining Armor confronts Twilight and dispels her accusations, saying "Cadance" is using her magic to heal the migraines he gets from his protection spell. Chrysalis returns and stomps on the figure of Twilight that's left over from the song. At first she gently strokes Twilight's mane, but then her eyes glow green and she engulfs Twilight in green flames that sink with her into the ground down to the tunnels beneath Canterlot. Chrysalis, still looking and sounding like Cadance, taunting Twilight through apparitions in an underground cavern's crystals, and telling her that she's using Shining Armor for her own ends. Twilight shatters the crystals and uncovers a path to the real Cadance, also imprisoned by the Changeling Queen. After outwitting Chrysalis's three bridesmaids who were guarding the cave, Cadance and Twilight manage to confront Chrysalis right before Princess Celestia weds her to Shining Armor.

Princess Cadance proclaims that the impostor is "a changeling. She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them." After that, the impostor transforms and introduces herself as queen of the changelings, who is named Chrysalis in the episode's script but not on-screen. She keeps Cadance at bay by threatening to send her back to the caves, and explains that she's been feeding on Shining Armor's love for Cadance, which weakens his protection spell that keeps the changelings out of Canterlot. Princess Celestia confronts her and attacks her with a beam from her horn, but Chrysalis fires back and, thanks to the power of Shining Armor's love, overpowers Celestia, who gets knocked to the ground. Celestia urges Twilight and her friends to get the Elements of Harmony and use them to defeat the queen.

The changelings breaks through the magical barrier protecting Canterlot and capture Twilight and her friends, bringing them back to the wedding hall, where Celestia finds herself encased in a chrysalis hanging from the ceiling. The queen sends her subjects to feed, Twilight to frees Cadance when Chrysalis is distracted. Cadance's magic breaks the spell over Shining Armor, and gives him strength. The queen mocks this sentiment but quickly finds that Shining Armor's spell repels her and all of the changelings out of Canterlot, flying into the distance.

_Description: _

After she is confronted by the real Cadance, she transforms into a creature that looks like a pony with a twisted unicorn horn, a pair of insectoid wings, and stands as tall as Princess Celestia herself. Unlike a pony however, she has a sharp pair of fangs and dark green eyes with elongated oval pupils. She has a teal mane and tail, a blue-green insect-like body plating over her midsection, and she wears a small, black crown tipped with blue orbs. Her voice has a distorted echoed quality, as if two voices are speaking slightly out of sync. Her legs are full of holes, and her limbs and torso are extremely skinny.

This concludes my guide to surviving Equestria I hope that this guide was helpful.

_The End._

_Me: Well that's it, now I had help with this fic so here's credit where its due: I would like to thank The Counter-Point Man, Storm Uchiha, The Ishvalen Chimera (You're still Moony to me.), GoldFlygon, Hound of Chulainn, and you for reading this awesome fic._

_As always Hoody Hoo!_


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